Notes:
- Producer: Domaine du Vissoux is the historic family estate of Pierre-Marie and Martine Chermette, based in Saint-Vérand in southern Beaujolais. Pierre-Marie took over the family domaine in 1982 at age 22 and began estate bottling rather than selling the production in bulk. The Cuvée Traditionnelle became particularly important to the domaine in 1986, when Pierre-Marie chose to move away from the heavily yeast-driven style of Beaujolais that was popular at the time and instead produce the wine without chaptalization or cultured yeast, using traditional Beaujolais vinification. By 1991, the Cuvée Traditionnelle Vieilles Vignes had become an emblematic wine of Domaine du Vissoux. The domaine expanded considerably afterward, adding important holdings in the Beaujolais crus. In 2018, Domaine du Vissoux was renamed Domaines Chermette to reflect its vineyards throughout the region, and the Cuvée Traditionnelle was subsequently renamed Origine Vieilles Vignes.
- Vineyard: The Cuvée Traditionnelle is 100% Gamay from the domaine's old-vine parcels in the southern Beaujolais. This area differs geologically from the granite-dominated hills farther north that form the heart of the Beaujolais crus. Around Saint-Vérand, the landscape incorporates more varied soils associated with the southern Beaujolais, while the domaine's mature vines provide the basis for the Vieilles Vignes designation. The cuvée was specifically created to showcase the domaine's older Gamay vines and became sufficiently important that it established the house style subsequently used across Chermette's wines. The 2015 vintage was notably warm, dry and sunny in Beaujolais, producing naturally ripe Gamay with greater concentration and structure than is typical in cooler years.
- Winemaking: This wine is particularly interesting because its production method has been central to the domaine since 1986. The grapes are harvested at full maturity and subjected to successive sorting, followed by fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Chermette employs a traditional semi-carbonic Beaujolais vinification, rather than relying on cultured aromatic yeasts. The Cuvée Traditionnelle was also produced without chaptalization, allowing the natural ripeness of the Gamay to determine the wine's alcoholic strength. Pierre-Marie's objective was what the domaine now describes as a method “closest to the grape,” emphasizing ripe fruit, natural yeast and traditional vinification. The wine was bottled in the spring following harvest. The 2015 was the first vintage vinified in Chermette's new 800-square-meter winery, equipped with 40 temperature-controlled red-wine fermentation tanks.
- Technical Details: Beaujolais AOC; Beaujolais, France; 2015 vintage; 100% Gamay; Vieilles Vignes; old-vine estate fruit; grapes harvested at full maturity; successive sorting; indigenous-yeast fermentation; traditional semi-carbonic Beaujolais vinification; no chaptalization; bottled in the spring following harvest; 750ml. The wine was released under the historic Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette name. Beginning in 2018, the estate became Domaines Chermette and this cuvée was renamed Origine Vieilles Vignes, making the 2015 part of the earlier Cuvée Traditionnelle era.
- Food Pairing: Roast chicken, charcuterie, pâté, terrines, grilled pork chops, pork tenderloin, sausages, duck confit, roast turkey, mushroom dishes, lentils, and moderately aged cheeses. Gamay's natural acidity and relatively moderate tannin make it particularly versatile with charcuterie and pork, while the additional concentration of the 2015 vintage gives this bottling enough structure for roast poultry and duck. It can also work especially well with classic Lyonnais preparations such as sausages, pâté and lentils. Serving it slightly cool rather than at warm room temperature will emphasize the wine's freshness and fruit.
Domaine du Vissoux Pierre Chermette Beaujolais "Cuvee Traditionnelle" Vieilles Vignes 2015
Domaine du Vissoux Pierre Chermette Beaujolais "Cuvee Traditionnelle" Vieilles Vignes 2015
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